PAM

News

Kuwait Eyes 15% Solar-Sourced Power by 2030

Kuwait plans to lessen its dependency on oil for power generation, ensuring 15% of its domestic needs come from renewables by 2030, in implementation of His Highness the Amir's diversification strategy, an oil ministry official said.

Great importance has been attached to these plans, Acting Oil Ministry Undersecretary Sheikh Talal Nasser Al-Sabah told reporters, citing solar power as the prime source.

"Solar power production is not merely aimed at searching for a substitute to oil or preparing for the post-oil era, as much as it is a global direction to reduce energy production costs," he explained.

The move will do much to assist the country in covering ever-increasing local demand, particularly with Kuwait having one of the highest rates of power consumption per capita in the world.

The country aims to follow in the footsteps of nations who have adopted renewable production technologies in order to reap the biggest benefits from the move, said the acting undersecretary.

One of the projects, currently under development, will provide up to 1,500 megawatts of power generated by solar energy, according to an expert.

The huge Al-Debdeba renewable energy power plant project is due to be operational by the 2020-21 third quarter, said Majed Al-Rasheedi, scientist at the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR).

The feasibility of the plan will also see carbon monoxide emissions in the country decreased by around 1.3 million tons, he added.